Dhanwantri Vaidayasala, one of the pioneering Ayurvedic institutions in Kerala, has drawn up plants to open more treatment centres in India and abroad. It has initiated efforts to start centres in Thrissur, Kozhikode, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Maldives and Dubai in next two years.

These centres would either be company owned or under franchisee basis under its brand name. For branded centres, the whole technical team will be provided and controlled by the company. Currently, the company has treatment centres at it headquarters in Thodapuzha, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Kannur and Hyderabad besides its sixth treatment centre at Kochi.

Further the Andhra Pradesh government has approached the company to take over its Ayurveda unit at Shilparam.

Besides, the company is also set to increase its number of outlets selling its Ayurvedic preparations. Currently it has over 50 branches and 100 agencies. The company has 350 preparations, and is to launch patented drugs for diabetes and joint pains in three months time. These drugs have been in clinical trial for past three years. The company is also currently developing special and patented products at its R&D centre at Thodapuzha.

It has also drawn up plans to undertake large scale cultivation of medicinal plants in over 40 hectares of land to overcome the shortage of some herbs. Currently 50 per cent of the raw materials used in medicinal preparations come from the north.

The company, aiming to double its turnover to Rs. 5 crore in the coming years, has started exports in a small way to Malaysia, Austria and West Asia. It plans to focus more on this segment in the coming years.

The company is also proposing to set up a 25-bedded hospital in Kochi by end of the calendar year.